Yesterday my hips started hurting, got worse, and took pain meds and still got worse. Then my shoulders. By 9 pm, every joint in my body hurt including my chest. It scared me. I wasn't sure if I was having a heart attack. I made Brett keep his hand on my chest. I took maximum dose of pain meds, didn't cut it. I couldn't walk to bathroom. EVERY JOINT HURT !!!! I just laid in bed and cried. I know this move is the right thing but my body wants me to hurry up and get it over with. Today I feel like someone took a sledge hammer to my body. I am going to go try to soak at the gym. That was a bad one. EVERY SINGLE JOINT I SWEAR
I wanted to add some good news. Tuesday now I go up and sign papers and we are going to take a car load of stuff. We are going to spend the night at our new house as we bought two antique beds from the owners. Isn't that exciting Gosh Roxy I can almost feel your pain. That is terrible, but here
is what I would do if I were in your position. I would hire
someone to do all of the packing!! No matter how much it may
cost, it would be well worth it Roxy. I am sure that the whole
household would be willing to let that happen! Remember the
saying "when Mama is happy, everyone is happy"
Do it Roxy and ease all of this pain and worrying.
Roxy,
You are going to have to lay down and rest. Flares do not get better with activity. And since you refuse to take prednisone, it is about the only thing you can do.
It is either rest, I mean hours of rest, or call your doc up and get a short run of prednisone.
I'm glad the move is soon, but I would really like to see you live to enjoy it.
I have had all the joints hurt at once. I take my pain pills, curl up on the couch and let the world pass by. If I do this early in the flare, then it does not linger at this painful phase for days. If I push it, I end up in the ER. With chest pains, that's a definite clue you are pushing. If the chest pains continue, get it checked out. Our bodies don't work if our hearts don't.
You are under terrible amount of stress for anyone. But you have a body that is very ill at the moment. Strength of will is not just going to get you through this on its own. Careful strategy is also important.
Please feel better and take care of yourself. I want to be able to come visit you in your new home. I want to hear all the fantastic new things and small miracles that are happening.
I am taking it easy on couch today and supervising Kelsey and Brett what to pack and I am sorting on couch. If I get as bad as last night - I am on percocet now and it is being kept at bay - but if I get bad, I have pred. How much should I take that I can wean down quickly from? Brett was really worried about me last night and he is being understanding. It scared me, have you ever had a flare that you thought you might be dying. Maybe it sounds dramatic but I kept worrying about that. Came on so suddenly, every toe, finger, hips,shoulders, ARMS, neck, and chest. So scary since I could not take any more pills.
We just don't have the money right now to hire anyone else. We already hired movers, we bought antique beds from owners we could not afford and an antique church pew. Don't scold me, I have gotten enough of that from my husband. We are broke for a good three weeks. M and C for din din and eggs. YUK but they sure are beautiful pieces of furniture for our new house and the kids needed beds.
Oh Roxy, you do need to take care of yourself even if you are moving. There is so much stress involved in a move and you have the additional stress of taking care of your daughter and having Brett back (although that is probably a pleasant stress). The fact is you are dealing with so much right now. Can you put a call in to your doctor to explain the situation? Have you ever had injections of prednisone? They have helped me and do not have as many negative side effects as the oral kind. At one point my rheumy wanted me to get an injection every few months due to overall pain. This was before my formal diagnosis of RA. Feel better and don't do any work you can have someone else do.
Linda
Oh, Roxy, Please rest. Let Brett and Kelsey keep on packing. If you keep getting the chest pains, get it checked out. We don't want you to kill yourself over this move.hey Roxy, Pepper here...
a thought on that chest pain... is it in the joints of your ribcage area? Those joints can hurt and swell like any other synovial joint. (even our "voicebox" can be affected, larnyx (sp?)) The ribcage joints can be very painful and like a tight feeling... and if you feel around those joints, you will feel the soreness. Just a thought... I also have Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia where my heart will go nuts on its own... but my heart is fine itself. That can cause chest pains or flutters too. Arava made it worse for me, so no more of that! Now I am in mega flare too... switching back to MTX and now to Orencia next week.
MEGA FLARES!!! DOH!! STAY COOL>>> Good luck!
Moving... we did that without help when I was a bit better years ago... and I swore then I would hire a mover the next time. Its too much.
Do you have the 1 mg tabs of prednisone? As I'm tapering down, I've found that if I am having a day like you are, just uping 1 mg is enough to ease the pain to bearable.
The best thing, as always, is to call your doctor's office and follow their instructions. You are so stubborn in this. Look, if it hurts bad enough to even consider taking any prednisone, then I know you need to call the doc. Consider what it takes to get you through the next two weeks. That's about what you need. Then you can taper off whatever meds the doc gives you. Being alive at the end of two weeks is rather essential.
You do have to be careful because of the chest pain. You should mention this to the doctor. I thinking it's probably costochronditis (inflammation of the breast bone). But any doc will tell you to get checked because it could be a heart problem which can include going to the doctor or the ER. A bad flare can inflame your heart, your rib cage. You have to get this under control.
In all honesty, you can postpone the move by a day, but not your life. You have to hold onto that every day.
I've had to do a lot of moves with no one but my kids to help. Sometimes it hasn't worked out so well. I had a garage sale to get rid of big things I didn't need. Another time, I had grouped everything that I considered things I could live without and had some guy from the second hand store come in and give me a price for the whole lot with the condition that he haul it all away. You don't get much for it that way unless you are a good barterer, but you don't have to move it either. For me, it was worth it.
I'm not talking about your sentimental, precious things. But we all collect garbage, stuff we do not need to have following us everywhere.
You can also make arrangements with your City trash pickup to collect everything when you are done and then they bill you later. If you have a lot, sometimes they will even put a big bin on your property. I got rid of all kinds of garbage, yard trimmings, old furniture, etc.
And, don't forget the Goodwill, etc. that will come and pickup stuff.
Things, in comparison to your health and sanity, are just not the important. You cannot hold onto everything. You have to prioritize. It can be very cleansing experience. Remember, you are starting a new life. What do you need for that new life? That's what you take. The rest get rid of. I have never had a problem with collecting new stuff.
You know you are over doing it...better slow down or your body's gonna do it for you!OK Guys. I spent the day signing papers and Brett and Kelsey did the packing. I just woke up from a glorious nap, since I hardly slept last night. I am certain it was my breast bone as you could feel it when I pressed on it. My whole body just rebelled. We just found out that we don't have to be out of my house until the 20th so that takes a lot of pressure off. I am still in a hurry to move, I want to get this over with but I am taking today off. I feel like I got a lot done, getting ALL THOSE PAPERS signed and sent off.
Thanks for your concern. If what happened last night - happens again - I will call doc. Really scared me. I have already decided if it is at night I will take 5 mg. pred. also. Brett and Kelsey are pitching in a lot more thank God.
They brought me home a really pretty bright yellow parakeet to go with my blue one so I am laying between my birds, saltwater fish, dogs and kitten. How much more relaxed could I be Roxy, glad to see you are feeling a bit better! :)
Roxy, take care of yourself! Would your doctor prescribe your dose of prednisone?
I'm not sure that anything less than 20 mg. will really help - but you know to taper down slowly and steadily. 20 mg. for 3 days, then down by 2.5 every 3 days. That's what my GP did for me.
You really only need to get through the next couple of weeks, and then you can rest, and the pain will start to ease up.
Good luck, whatever you decide to do.
To be honest, pred. sounds great right now but the move is only a week away. The major packing is almost done. I am going to see how I feel. I slept last night and I am going swimming this morning. I had a long talk with my hubby last night about "spoons" - he seemed to forget mine were limited and I think I will get more help now.
Let's see how today goes. I am going to try not to do too much. Down to mainly clothes and dishes. I have packed over 30 boxes of other "stuff". I know, I know. I have a huge library and that was at least a dozen boxes. When I get there, what doesn't look good in the house it goes. This is my last move in my lifetime !!!!!!
I am sorry you have been having a terrible flare in illness, Roxy.
It's frustrating to realize that even when you are making a positive change in life, the stress can throw you (all of us) for a loop! Itis a very intensified stress reaction. It is difficult for others to understand. They often say things like: "I thought you were excited about the new house?" or something that seems equally ignorant at the time. It seems "ignorant" when we are overtired and in pain! It seems simply "uninformed" when we are not so tired and so ill!
Within my own home dynamics, if I am in a very serious flare for very long, my husband becomes very anxious and his anxiety level overtakes any "productivity" he would have had othersie. (This is if I do not call or see a doctor in these terrible flares.) Sometimes, I call or see the doctor, even when I know what to do, as it eases his anxiety. Thsi often helps him. If he is "helped," too, he stays focused and helpful. This is especially so when the flare is suddenly so severe, we do think we may die! That has been a very real experience for me... especially with pain. Sudden "storms" of even more severe pain that cannot be relieved with any drug I have on hand, at least not safely, as the dose I need then is only "safe" when under medical observaton." I am so glad to learn you have a bit more time! Rest, rest, rest! Watch your reaction to the prednisone... emotionally, right now. It may or may not be different than prior reactions. You may have an energetic reaction and/or a rather "depressed" reaction, or no major reaction at all! I am praying you will be fine!
Please do keep us updated! Again, "congratulations" on all you have accomplished!
Blessings to you and your family!
Very excited but have mellowed from flare. I want to be well on the signing day and the big move day. Isn't it amazing in two weeks, I will no longer be in Chico. WOW. Been here 17 years. But I am ready for a new adventure and new friends. All of my friends here are from my very active days
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